GB2598638A

GB2598638A - Apparatus for providing a warning zone around a cycle

Info

Publication number: GB2598638A
Application number: GB2014115.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Osborne Derek
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-09-08
Filing date: 2020-09-08
Publication date: 2022-03-09
Also published as: GB202014115D0

Abstract

Apparatus for providing a warning zone 199 around a bicycle 100 comprising bicycle-mountable lighting devices 99, each having at least one light source and arranged to direct light on the ground as pre-defined patterns delineating a warning zone. The light sources may be laser projectors and may be LED lasers. At least two devices may mount to either side of the front and back wheels. The lighting devices may have a rotatable clip and ratchet mechanism (14, Figure 7) allowing orientation adjustment and locking. The mounting means may be elastomeric to avoid damaging the bicycle and may comprise a silicone strap (3, Figure 5) stretched around the bicycle frame. The devices may have housings (5) with a concave channel (10) to fit the frame. Lenses may focus the light into a distinct image. The devices may have communication means, allowing production of a strobed or flashing light sequence.

Description

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A WARNING 7ONF AROUND A cyci F

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to apparatus for providing a warning zone around a cycle, in particular a light defined zone; more particularly but not exclusively around a bicycle.

Rackground Increasing numbers of people in many societies are taking to the road for commuting or pleasure on bicycles, given the increasing pressures of cost, traffic and health.

This is universally recognised as a good thing as concerns mount over climate change and greenhouse gases.

However it can be dangerous for cyclists on many roads, given other road users in larger, heavier vehicles, who are often unaware of the cyclists near them.

It can be difficult to spot a cyclist at times from a motor vehicle, and even when spotted 20 it can be difficult to assess a correct amount of space to afford the cyclist when passing him or her.

Prior Art

WO 2019 08 509 (CHEN et al) discloses a light projection system for bicycles that comprises a front light and a rear light that act in tandem to emit light on the sides and beneath the cycle to visually indicate the 'safety space' of the cyclist; and to use such lights to indicate cyclists' intention to other commuters. Individually, both the front and rear light can project light as wide as 330 °, with sharply defined patterns and objects.

WO 2018 157 923 (FERNANDEZ et al) discloses an integral lighting and safety device for bicycles which comprises a plurality of light sources to indicate the position of a bicycle and/or a change on its direction, and s laser module further comprising a laser source housed in a crosswise housing, and a single line lens having a grooved side, housed in the lower window and positioned with respect to the laser source in such a way that, when an emitted light from the laser source reaches the line lens, a beam having a circumference arc shape, with an arc between 240 and 600, is projected from the line lens with the aim of delimiting a safety space around the rear side of the bicycle.

US 2010 0 283 590 (TEE et al) discloses a safety light apparatus includes a first light 5 source to emit a first light beam and a first light modulator to modulate the first light beam to project a first light image resembling a left boundary of a bike lane. A second light source emits a second light beam, and a second light modulator modulates the second light beam to project a second light image resembling a right boundary of a bike lane. A housing supports the first and second light sources and the first and 10 second light modulators. A mounting device is provided for mounting the housing to a bicycle.

The present invention arose in order to overcome problems suffered by existing devices.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for providing a warning zone around a bicycle, comprising: a plurality of lighting devices, each including a bicycle mounting means, each lighting device has at least one light source, wherein the lighting devices are arranged to direct light from a light source to form pre-defined patterns of light on ground around the bicycle and thereby delineate the warning zone.

In this way the apparatus of the present invention provides an innovative system of 25 lights that act together to surround a cyclist with a safety zone marked out in sharp light that encourages drivers to stay clear of this zone and thereby enhances the safety of the cyclist.

The light source may comprise a laser light source for example a laser LED. In this 30 way the light source is focussed, being spatially coherent.

In some embodiments the apparatus may be envisaged to comprise two such devices, which devices may be located in use to either side and/or either end of the bicycle in use.

In other embodiments the apparatus may be envisaged to comprise four such devices, wherein the devices are mounted to either side, front and rear of the cycle in use to delineate a zone around all of the cycle In some embodiments the mounting means may be permanent.

In some embodiments the mounting means may be temporary. For example the mounting means may comprise clip mounts, and/or may comprise semi-permanent or semi-permanent brackets, which brackets may allow the device to be substantially 10 displaced to avoid risk of theft or vandalism.

In some embodiments the mounting means may comprise an elastomeric or flexible mounting means, for example elastic bands or similar, which bands may serve to locate the device on the bicycle securely and/or flexibly as required and when required.

In this way the mounting means can be easily reversed and/or adjusted, so as to allow for the devices to be taken off the cycle for recharging or security purposes.

Advantageously it may also be envisaged that damage to the cycle may be avoided by 20 elastomeric mounting.

In some embodiments the device may comprise a displaceable part, for example battery, so as to enable the battery to be recharged for example. In some embodiments the battery may be envisaged to be recharged locally, for example by an energy harvesting mechanism such as a kinetic energy harvesting mechanism or photovoltaic harvesting mechanism.

In some embodiments the light source may comprise one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). These may be one or more colours, such as red, green and yellow or blue. 30 In some embodiments the device may comprise one or more lenses. The lens or lenses may be variable and/or envisaged to focus the light source so as to make the device provide a sharp and distinct line on the ground. In this way the apparatus may be enabled to advantageously delineate a clear zone, that is advantageously visible in daylight or at night-time under artificial In some embodiments the devices comprise an adjustment mechanism, for example a rotatable and/or tiltable adjustment mechanism so as to allow for adjustment of direction of the light source. In this way for example the light source may be adjusted in tilt, rake, and/or direction, so as to expand the zone and/or move the lines in use. In 5 some embodiments it may be envisaged that such adjustment may be accomplished manually, in other embodiments such adjustment may be accomplished automatically, for example with reference to cycle speed. The device may comprise a lock means locks the lighting device in a selected orientation and/or have a rotatable clip and ratchet mechanism that allows them to be oriented to adjust the direction of light 10 towards the ground.

In some embodiments the devices may comprise an accelerometer or gyroscope or self-levelling mechanism, which may be envisaged to ensure that the light source is effectively controlled to maintain a standardised zone around the bicycle, whether 15 mounted correctly or incorrectly to the bicycle and/or during movement of the bicycle.

In some embodiments at least one of the lighting devices has a communication means for sending and receiving a signal to/from another lighting device and a controller that supervises communication between the lighting devices, so that a strobed or flashing light sequence may be produced. This may be provided through wiring or wirelessly. In some embodiments the pattern or colour of the light source may be controlled by a remote device, for example provided independently and comprising a smartphone or similar.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of Figures

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of an embodiment of a device that is part of the apparatus according to the present invention, with mounting means open; Figure 2 shows a plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a reverse isometric view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a reverse plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 shows a side view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 shows an end view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figures 7 show exploded isometric views of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and Figure 8 shows a sketch of an isometric view of an embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention in use on a bicycle.

Detailed Description of Figures

With reference to the pictured embodiment there is shown an embodiment of a device 99 for apparatus for providing a warning zone 199 around a bicycle 100, generally comprising a plurality of such lighting devices 99, each including a bicycle mounting means 3 and one or more light sources 51, wherein the devices are arranged to focus the light source(s) and subsequently broadcast lines of light onto the ground so as to delineate the zone.

In use at least two lighting devices are adapted to be mounted either side of the bicycle to direct light from a front wheel and at least two lighting devices are adapted to be 25 mounted either side of the bicycle to direct light from a rear wheel.

The devices are comprised of a rigid housing 5 with a concave channel 10 for a tube of the cycle frame, that has a mounting means comprised by a silicone strap 3 that is looped over the cycle frame tube and secured over a clip 1 extending from the housing 30 5.

Advantageously the channel 10 of the housing of the device and the elastomedc mounting strap 3 combine to reach over and around the cycle frame tubes in use, without risk of causing damage to the frame tubes.

With particular reference to the embodiment of the apparatus pictured in Figure 8, the apparatus comprises four devices 99, mounted to either side of the front and rear of the cycle.

The embodiment further comprises the following parts: PCB 12 (printed circuit board) having a laser light source 51, switch and micro-USB (universal serial bus) port 11 to recharge the battery with a silicone tethered plug to cover the charging port when not in use and prevent moisture ingress.

Lithium battery 13 supplying the energy to the light source.

Front/ back indications 7 to indicate whether the device is for the front or back of the bicycle, and left and right indications 21 indicate whether the device is for the left or right of cycle.

A rotatable clip and ratchet mechanism 14 allows for the light direction to be adjustable enabling it to be rotated so as to correctly project light onto the road.

The embodiment is envisaged to come in a set of four devices to make the apparatus, namely a left and right with a front and back version of both.

The left and right embodiments are indicated by the 1' and 'R' 21 embossed on the top.

A translucent or transparent cover 15 covers the light source 51.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing 30 from the scope of invention as defined by the claims, in particular but not solely combination of features of described embodiments.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing a warning zone around a bicycle, comprising: a plurality of lighting devices, each including a bicycle mounting means, each lighting device has at least one light source, wherein the lighting devices are arranged to direct light from a light source to form pre-defined patterns of light on ground around the bicycle and thereby delineate the warning zone.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the light sources is a laser.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 wherein at least two lighting devices are adapted to be mounted either side of the bicycle to direct light from a front wheel and at least two lighting devices are adapted to be mounted either side of the bicycle to direct light from a rear wheel.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, 2013 wherein lighting devices have a rotatable clip and ratchet mechanism that allows them to be oriented to adjust the direction of light towards the ground.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein a lock means locks the lighting device in a selected orientation.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein an elastomeric mounting means is provided so as to avoid damage to a bicycle frame when a lighting device is connected to the bicycle.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the mounting means comprises a silicone strap mounting means to be stretched around the bicycle frame.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 wherein the lighting devices have a housing that comprises a concave channel for the bicycle frame.

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim comprising one or more lenses which are variable to enable light to be focussed to a distinct image.

10. Apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 9 wherein the at least one laser is a light emitting diode (LED) laser.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the at least one laser is from the group comprising: a red LED laser, a green LED laser and a blue LED laser.

12. A system including at least two of the lighting devices according to any preceding claim wherein the lighting devices have a communication means for sending and receiving a signal to/from another lighting device and a controller that supervises communication between the lighting devices, so that a strobed or flashing light sequence is produced.